


Human

by Level4Chaos



Category: Dragon's Dogma
Genre: Anal Sex, Existential Angst, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Oral Sex, POV First Person, Romance, Self-Doubt, Sexual Content, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-10
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2019-10-06 02:46:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17337233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Level4Chaos/pseuds/Level4Chaos
Summary: [NOT COMPLETE / IN-PROGRESS!]Set after the end of the game. The Arisen may have settled back into his peaceful life in Cassardis, but his Main Pawn still has to sacrifice so much more for his master's happiness.  Written from the Main Pawn's point of view.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **DISCLAIMER:** With the exception of the physical appearances and personalities of the Arisen and Main Pawn, the characters and places in this fanfic are not mine! I assure you they will be returned to their rightful places in perfect condition - and I will have made no money from their adventures! This story is a work of fiction, and I acknowledge that I have taken uncountable liberties with the Dragon's Dogma plot and characters' personalities / sexual persuasions. In no way do I mean the characters, or their creators, any harm or disrespect; I write this purely to show my love for the game in my own special way - nothing more, nothing less.
> 
>  **SPOILER ALERT:** This fic is set after the end of the game. If you haven't played it the whole way through, please do not read this fic!
> 
>  **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** This fic is written from my Main Pawn's point of view. If you're curious about the Mage behind the story, you can summon Manny on PSN (both PS3 and PS4) by doing a username search for **Level4Chaos**

_It had troubled me as much as my limited emotions allowed; the day my Master shied away from me like I was the worst monster he had ever encountered. It was only now that I understood why._

_Within my consciousness lay his memories, and I could see for the first time just what had frightened him so... and it frightened me, too._

_He excelled in archery, and I had been watching him as he practiced. Careful, deep breaths as he drew back the bowstring; his eyes locked firmly on the target. Nothing else existed in the world; not a single thing around him, not a single sound but his own concentrated breath._

_His skill was good, but far from perfect at that time, and a moment's hesitation saw him twist to the side, lining me up as his mark for a split-second. And it was then he dropped his bow and hurried to cover the look of horror that had skimmed his features._

_I never asked him what he saw, and he never mentioned it. The moment was as fleeting as it was shocking. And now, I knew..._

_With focused body and mind, he had seen me as I truly was - a hollow face, with empty sockets for eyes. There is a human saying about eyes being the window to the soul..._

_Whilst I was a pawn, I had neither._

* * * * *

Barnaby took my hands in his, and smiled. It was a sad smile, but also a loving one. He knew. As he looked into the eyes of my master, and saw me staring back... how could he not know?

I was not sure exactly _what_ he was any more. Half way between human and pawn - we had that much in common. His transition was the work of cruel magic; mine was something far more... _celestial_. He was all himself, and I was two different halves fighting to be a whole. I asked too much of him to understand how scared I was of my new feelings... and his intentions.

It felt wrong, but this body smiled back and gripped his hands affectionately in return. I didn't want it to stop, and I knew this was one of _his_ lingering thoughts. I'd never wanted anything before. It was not an unpleasant feeling - this want, like it was my own.

I knew it was my duty to one day _become_ my master; that our thoughts and feelings would be as one, but that single touch had stirred so many emotions, I felt like a prisoner to whims I never knew existed.

My master was dead. I'd barely had time to accept his loss - that I was without direction - before my consciousness awoke in his body, and now _this_?

I knew _of_ love, but I'd never felt my heart racing like it was now. I'd watched my master flirt, and I'd watched his efforts grow to fruition, but I was innocent to such experiences personally.

Yes, pawns were capable of giving and receiving carnal pleasure, but there was no pursuit, no attachment; just mutual agreement that we would enjoy each other's body, and move on. I was no stranger to the actions, but I was a virgin to the emotions.

I had been a handsome pawn - a fact the ladies of Gran Soren never failed to remind me of whenever I would venture out into the city alone. My master had told me "it was creepy" having me stand over him whilst he slept, so he bade me do whatever I pleased when he was in bed.

_Whatever I pleased_ was not a simple request. My role was to look after him; protect him from those who would do him harm, and heal him if I fell short. So, in the absence of his commanding will, I took my guidance from elsewhere, and there was no shortage of ladies (and the occasional man) to help me.

A night of empty pleasure for the both of us. Of course I had preferences in my partners and our activities, but there was no disappointment if I did not receive what I liked. What I had watched cause many humans great distress meant nothing to me. I was simply not capable of feeling such things.

It is the negative emotions, I imagine, that will be the hardest to understand. That I am expected to harbour grief for something beyond my control? It's strange to me, yet, I know my master disliked - and dislikes still - a great many things.

He was not a nice person during his life, but he was the master I was honoured to serve. He drew people to him with his unwavering focus and drive, rather than his caustic personality. He knew what he wanted - what he _still_ wants as I animate his body for him.

He wanted Barnaby from the moment he saw him. Getting his heart back, and saving Gransys from a dragon wasn't motivation enough to stir him into action. Saving Barnaby from that very dragon was.

That first kiss I witnessed; it meant nothing to me at the time, but now my lips trembled at a recollection that was not mine, of the taste... and feel.

...Of my back touching the ground as Barnaby lay my master down and opened his mouth into the kiss.

...Of heated breath rushing past my cheeks, as he brought his tongue into play.

I heard what my master had said to him as he drew away for breath.  
_"Make love to me."_  
I had heard it, and it stirred nothing, not like it did now, with those same words hanging on my lips as all my master's emotions flooded my consciousness.

How was he capable of feeling so much, and not run away screaming for it all to stop? Had his mind always been so awhirl?

I remember how quiet the camp was that night. There was the occasional soldier walking by on patrol, but most had retired to bed in preparation for the long journey back to the Capital to relay the news of my master's success. The Dragon was dead, and this small part of the world breathed a humble sigh of relief. There was no celebration, only quiet reflection; no one was really certain it was over.

I was gifted in the art of curative magic, but even though I had healed my master's cuts and burns, I could do nothing for his worries - what little I understood of them at the time. He sat alone by the fire, staring sadly beyond it. I'd glanced over to him as I worked on everyone else's wounds. It is difficult to explain how a pawn plans (if it can be called that), but I'd wondered if I should talk to him. It was the expected thing to do.

Knowing now what he was thinking about, I realise there was only one person he would have wanted with him, and that person was sitting before me with his bloodied hands trembling under my spell.

The beating Barnaby had received from the goblins was particularly vicious. He was covered in so many painful defensive wounds, I had to catch my breath before casting a second dose of Anodyne on him.

The Dragon had said some puzzling things; least of which was a reference to Barnaby's humanity. We pawns weren't quite human - that was what separated us, and kept us subordinate. However, through strange means, a few of us had been known to become human.

_For the price of a single life..._

The Dragon would not have goaded my master into the fight to end all fights with a _pawn's_ replaceable life. It suggested Barnaby was no longer able to be re-collected from the Rift, good as new. The threat of his permanent death was real.

"Do you think it's true... what The Dragon said about me?" He had asked, as I worked my healing magic.  
At the time, I didn't know what it was supposed to feel like to be human. He was no different to the touch, but that meant very little.

I took his right hand in mine, and turned his palm up, and I saw the flicker of hope dashed in his eyes at the sight of his pawn print. It was strange; one of my kind looking like that.

"It was foolish for me to think it might have disappeared." He forced a grim smile, "That I might be the same as _him_."  
"It is something you may be able to discuss with Selene. She has recently made the transition from pawn to human." It was the only comfort I could give him; that someone we knew had experienced it, so it was possible.

Selene lives in my master's - _our?_ No, _my_ \- house these days. If Barnaby has not asked her yet, I certainly will.


	2. Chapter 2

I had been sitting some distance away from my master, watching him. There was little else I could do; my duty to protect him had been fulfilled. I watched Barnaby approach him, and lay him down in a passionate kiss...

And now, the memory of how it felt was mine as well.

"Show me how to please you, Arisen."  
It was how we did things; the need to learn was the most powerful urge we had. I realise now it must have sounded like a cold request to my master amidst the heat of his own desires.

He had smiled the same smile I now wore; shy, but willing, as he spread his legs beneath his lover. He bent his knees up, and a flash of his pale thigh drew my attention as his skirt bunched at his groin.

With the same mastery he commanded us in battle, he commanded Barnaby in the ways of physical love; undulating his lithe body beneath him, as if already in the throes of their inevitable coupling.

His will was so powerful, it would just take a touch... a hint of a feeling... and we could understand what he wanted from us. This was no different. Just a glance at the bottle of oil peeking from my master's discarded pack, and Barnaby knew to reach for it.

They retreated to the privacy of one of the tents. A short time later, I heard my master's stifled moan.

I could now recall what had drawn such a sound from him, and my new body clenched at the thought... of the feeling of Barnaby inside me as I straddled his lap; my hands locked with his, as I rocked and bounced on his slicked shaft.

My master had been staring into his eyes the entire time. It was clearly a precious memory, as I could see Barnaby's expression of wonder so perfectly; his pale blue eyes, wide and glassy. He may have still bore a pawn print, but there was something new in his eyes. My master recognised it, and so too did I now - it was love.

Love.

That alien emotion that we pawns could replicate in every way except actually _feeling_ it. I understood it now, but I did not know if it was I or _him_ who was feeling it. 

This body shivered at the memory of the last time his lover had touched him.  
...And I, too, was excited by the prospect of experiencing it.

Barnaby held my hands for so long in silence, just smiling his gentle smile. There was only the sound of the waves, and the occasional seagull crying out, as if to remind me this was real. They were comforting sounds; the sounds my master had grown up listening to.

There were too many memories! Hazy memories within clearer memories... of a childhood I, as a pawn, never had.

"...I thought I'd lost you." Barnaby finally spoke, sad and sincere. "I've never known a fear like it."  
Before I knew it, I was kissing him, the ocean lapping at our feet as our bodies moulded to each other. He laid me down against the sand, reminiscent of that night in the camp, and my body itched with desperation for the rest of that evening to play out again.

"Please..." It was my master's voice, speaking my thoughts, as my hands reached with familiarity to uncouple an outfit I had never put on nor taken off.

I wanted him. I wanted him inside me, here, on the beach, for the entire village to see!

_No!_  
_Master, what are you thinking?!_

He had always been reckless, and I was no longer able to protect him. The tide was coming in, and with it, the Brine.

"It would be safer to continue this indoors. I've lost you once, Arisen, I won't lose you again."  
I smiled against Barnaby's lips as his whispered it. He was so proper, like he was still conducting business at the guild!  
"I have a name. Say it..."

...But I didn't want to hear it. It would feel wrong to answer to my master's name.

"Not yet, Arisen."  
He knew, and he didn't know which name to use.

Our fingers linked as we made our way back to the main village, tracing the steps to my master's house, like he had never left.

Villagers stared, whilst others smiled - varying reactions of disbelief as their lost fisherman returned.

A hand reached out, grabbing my arm with confident familiarity.  
"You must tell me about your latest adventure!" Lewes insisted. "We all thought you had died!"  
"I... I think I did?" I don't know which of us said it, but it was true for both of us. My master had indeed died, and I would follow... the only way a pawn could.

"Where did you go?"

I knew that, in time, I would fade into the background, and my master's dominant personality would eventually swallow what was left. I would truly become him.

"What did you do?"

It was the greatest honour a pawn could achieve.  
So, why was I so scared of losing myself?

"What did you see?"

Myself? I wasn't me. My memories were running through his mind, with his emotions and far more vivid memories attached. I was him!

"Was it amazing?"

I was never me.

"Tell me all about it!"

I was a pawn; servant to my master, and now, the animator of his body until he is strong enough to return... or, until I am strong enough to be him.

"Lewes, enough!"

I was so lost in thought, I didn't see who pulled the child away from me. All I could feel was Barnaby's hand tightening around mine in silent support. What was happening to me was right. It was how it was supposed to be, and I would be a fool to attempt to fight against it.

It still didn't stop me from being terrified.

My master was never scared of anything. He, too, had been thrust into a situation he knew he would not survive, and he never doubted himself. _I_ never doubted him either. The Dragon never stood a chance against his unwavering will.

It was the same unwavering will that would devour me to return.

The villagers fussed and planned the evening's celebrations around us, as Barnaby and I stood like awkward strangers outside the inn. There were questions about food, about music... about who wanted to perform for the entertainment.

"Barnaby, my lad, do you have any special talents?" Adaro, the village chief and my master's adopted father asked, just as if he was part of the family.

A smile touched my lips, but it was not _my_ feelings that brought it to the surface.

It seems that during my master's absence, the guild leader had made himself at home in Cassardis. The Arisen had come and gone; there was no need for the pawns to gather any longer, so Barnaby had no reason to return to Gran Soren, or to the Rift. Perhaps he _couldn't_ return to the Rift? 

My master had once asked Barnaby about his past - a past, like my own, which spanned hundreds of years, and most of it spent wandering aimlessly in the Rift. There was never any hope to be selected to join the Arisen, but there was an immense amount of gratitude if it happened. I am beyond lucky to be where I am right now.

Barnaby's life outside the Rift was not so prestigious. He kept watch, filed reports, and acted as mediator between human and pawn; understanding that he would never travel at the Arisen's side whilst he held that position. He knew how to fight, but like us all, could only do so under the Arisen's command.

But he was tremendously good at his management role - a role the disorganised people of Cassardis were in desperate need of, if this party was going to happen tonight. When he vaguely explained his job in Gran Soren, I barely had time to ask if I could help, before Adaro shooed me away.

I returned to my master's home. It was, after all, a party for him. I would only get in the way.

I jumped at the sight of his fiery red hair reflected in the pots and pans by the hearth. I caught myself looking around to see if he was with me! This would take some time to get used to, but how much time did I have? His body, his memories… there was very little of me left, save for a small voice being drowned out by his.


	3. Chapter 3

Selene was, as always, standing by the window. She always looked so sad, and I was beginning to understand why. My master's mind never stopped thinking; never stopped wondering or worrying. Sofiah's lingering memories no doubt plagued her, too.

"Tell me what it feels like." I wanted to ask politely, but my suggestion had been run through my master's mind, and he had decided to demand it in his own blunt way.

"I'm sorry, Arisen?" She turned, wringing her hands as she asked for clarification.

"When you became human. How long did it take?"  
That was not _my_ question! He was growing impatient, and I felt like an unwanted guest in a body I was losing more and more control over.

"I did not even realise it had happened."  
Even when she smiled, she looked sad. She was staring at me - through him, and directly at _me_ as she spoke.  
"My new emotions were so easy to feel... I don't even know what thoughts are hers, and which are mine now. I have taken her form, and we are one entity - as is a pawn's lot."

The Fool of Hillfigure Knoll had said the same thing as he stood beside his master, mirroring his form.

I was not alone in what was happening to me, but...

I had suddenly been merged with this body; it had not been a gradual change. It was not the gentle Bestowal of Spirit; it was an invasion - and _I_ felt like the aggressor. I had no right to feel like my master owed me anything.

It was obviously just as frustrating for him; smothered in his own body. This body with so many memories and feelings attached to it, and I - a personality with neither, save for the few memories I had created at his side. He is just as aware as I of our situation, but he is not strong enough...

Yet.

I stared down at his body, smaller than mine had been, and sighed. I traced patterns in the freckles on his pale thighs, so different from my own golden skin. It was my body now, and if I had time to, I would get used to it.

I asked Selene about Barnaby, and whether she thought he was human or pawn. I felt my master's returned heart hitch in my breast as the name left my lips. He was so completely infatuated.

Love is a most bizarre emotion!

"When you were gone, and he waited and hoped for your return... he worried he would not be able to feel enough for you, Arisen. He doesn't know if his new emotions are the right ones."

"I barely understand them myself..." I replied.

"He is like you, but he has no one's spirit to shape him. When the transition is complete and his pawn print disappears, it will be your love that guides him."

My master loved Barnaby with every fibre of his being, but...

How could I possibly help him as I was now? Of course, I loved him. I was compelled to love him like nothing else, because I had never felt anything before my master's emotions were running through me.

I could see exactly what drew my master to him. I had no choice; I utterly adored him, but it was wrong. I was not the one he wanted.

The moment my master had set eyes on Barnaby at the Pawn Guild, he knew. He was no stranger to physical attraction. He has fond memories of a teenage tryst with Valmiro, but they do not make his blood flow to his extremities like the thought of Barnaby does.

Arisens have fallen in love with pawns since before the time of Ashe and Olra. Usually their own pawn, but nothing about my master was usual.

We have common memories of regularly heading to the Pawn Guild; my master cradling a giant fish from the day's catch to present to the object of his affection.

 _"You have my deepest appreciation."_  
Always his deepest appreciation... it was sweet music to my master's ears, and he would endanger himself just to hear it again and again.

Our other missions were unimportant; seeing Barnaby blush was the only thing that mattered. I didn't understand it then, but I do now. I understand it all too well. I would kill and die for that blush!

Selene was staring at me the whole time.  
"Already, you scowl just as he did." She observed sadly.

I couldn't feel it. Perhaps this face was just so used to pulling such expressions, or was my master frowning at his circumstances?

"It is a foolish, human trait to be afraid of the inevitable, would you not agree?" I laughed at myself - and at my hopeless predicament - from a body only capable of feeling foolish, human emotions.

"Indeed." Selene nodded.  
"What do you see when you look at me?" I was curious, but I was not ready to seek out a clear reflection of myself. I already knew the answer.

"Your eyes are still kind, Arisen."

That was all I was now - a look in his eyes that only other pawns could see.

I was born (or, perhaps _appeared_ is a more accurate word for it?) as nothing, I lived as nothing, but I would die as the Arisen. There really was no greater honour. If I kept telling myself that, it didn't feel so bad as I faded away for him.

But why give me the chance to experience these emotions, if only for me to feel sheer terror at their mercy? I was scared for the first time in my life, and he was just as indomitable as he had always been. I wouldn't fight him.

I couldn't.

He was my master, and I would do anything for him.

The room sank into silence. I could hear the familiar sound of the waves, and further in the distance, the villagers bustling to set up the party. There was the sound of furniture being dragged, and barrels being rolled out into the main street.

There was laughter, as well as the occasional angry shout; it was nice. It was my master's home.

It was _my_ home.

It was a strange feeling to have a place in the world. I was no longer one of many mages wandering the Rift.

I stared down at my gloved hands, wondering as I bared them - was there enough of me still to cast a spell through him? Just once more? And the more I pondered it, the more I realised it was not _my_ curiosity that needed sating. He wanted to know if he had inherited my abilities.

His body was weird, like I had put someone else's clothing on, and it was pulling in the wrong places. Could I even summon mana from his depths, if he could not?

I closed my eyes, concentrating... trying to feel something that resembled magic. It wasn't there. The talent that had earned me the place at his side was gone... I was useless to him.

"Arisen?" Barnaby's voice stirred me from my thoughts, my body already drawn to him; my master had embraced him without my knowledge. "The celebrations are about to begin."


	4. Chapter 4

There were toasts - to my master's victory, to his return, and to his future happiness. His face smiled, and I graciously accepted them like they were for me. They were so proud of him. Would they say the same sweet words if they knew it was me sitting there in his stead?

I felt like an impostor. I was thankful when the congratulations ended and the singing began.

Songs, so foreign but so familiar, flooded the night air. I did not know the words, but my master did, and I sang them for his pleasure; lyrics that brought back even deeper memories of running across an endless expanse of sand.

Of playing with my friends...

Of that first forbidden kiss with Valmiro.

When Adaro found out about it, we were banished to our rooms. We thought we'd never see sunlight for a month! It's taken years, but the way he has welcomed Barnaby into the village, I think he finally understands that I could never be interested in Quina the way he wanted me to be.

It's all so clear; I could recite my master's whole life like it had been my own. I was beginning to understand him as a person, not just as a leader. He had not always been so jaded. Experiences had shaped him, just as his will shaped me.

He was far from the perfect man...

But he was the perfect Arisen.

He couldn't have known, and I only just realised it myself, but the times he had laughed at my misfortune, or yelled at me for failing him, he was laying the groundwork for this moment. He was giving me the bad experiences I needed to have to become him.

I needed to be equal parts deranged and determined - the kind of person who would take on the Dragon without a hint of doubt. My days of being his careful guardian were over... but I still didn't know how to be what he expected me to be.

What if I failed in my final duty? What if we were so different that I _couldn't_ become him?

He would call me weak, and as he accepted another tankard of ale, perhaps this body was already doing just that. It wanted to silence my doubts.

...And silence _me_.

Barnaby was beside me, trying to catch and sing key words in the pattern. A laugh bubbled up from my throat. It was _his_ laugh, hurting my sides as it shook me.

"The lyrics keep changing!" The guild leader lamented, giving an embarrassed chuckle.

_He is so sexy when he smiles..._

My master wanted him. _I_ wanted him.

There was an insistent throbbing in my groin. It forced a gasp from my lips. Were those _kind eyes_ of mine brimming with my master's lust when Barnaby caught my stare?

The way he stopped singing mid-word and stared back with a raised eyebrow told me they were indeed. He was only just learning to feel his own emotions, and I was having alien emotions forced upon me. It was a strange situation, but there was nothing my master's will could not overcome.

If he wanted something, he would do whatever it took to get it. My fleeting role was to sit back and watch from within, as his slender limbs moved under his increasing command.

My arms were around Barnaby in an embrace. My master had very little inhibition when he was sober - even less with the sweet warmth of alcohol in his belly.

The entire tavern erupted into cheers and hooting as we kissed. I felt a smile tug at my lips. They were as worried as I for Barnaby's safety when they learned the Dragon had taken him. He belonged here now with us... with _me_. 

"I need to show you something." I was hard with my master's urgency, and I took Barnaby's hand in mine, and led him outside.

The party continued without us. The music played into the street, echoing through the stone passageways. It seemed like forever ago that the village had been this happy. The Dragon and the Arisen were distant memories now.

With the shadows obscuring us, I pushed Barnaby against the tavern's outer wall and kissed him - passionately, desperately. I needed to feel him... to taste him. I dropped to my knees, guided by my master's experience, and began kissing his cock through his pants.

"Arisen!" He cried out, adding much quieter, "We mustn't!"

It had been done to me by many a willing Gran Soren lady, but I had never performed the act myself. My master, however, knew exactly what he was doing. All I felt was his desire. All I wanted was to suck Barnaby to orgasm. My master's unwavering will was my own, and left little room for argument when I was already blindly untying my lover's belt.

"I want to."  
Just as he commanded me, he held that same power over Barnaby. Human or nay, we were both still bound to serve him.

Barnaby let out a muffled cry as I took hold of his shaft - stroking it, pumping it to arousal as I licked and suckled him.  
"Arisen...!"

I revelled in the sounds he made. He covered his face with his hands, only serving to amplify his heavy breathing. If he was not new to the actions, he was definitely new to the emotions - as was I.

I wanted him to know how much I completely adored him. And I would do it with my lips, my tongue... my deep, deep throat.

My master had stroked himself to the thought of doing this on more than one occasion. I knew now why he sent me away some nights - but there really was no need for him to be embarrassed; I could not have judged his actions anyway.

Every single one of his fantasies - and his fears - involved Barnaby. If he had asked me how to romance a pawn, I would not have been able to answer him. Perhaps I had already been involved in a romance with one of the Gran Soren ladies? What I knew of love was barely even the surface. I didn't have the ability to understand the feelings before.

But I did now, and so did Barnaby.

"Please... Arisen!"

My head was moving back and forth with an artistry I did not possess in my former life. My tongue pressed to his veined, engorged penis, and my hand wrapped around the base, its palm caressing his sac.

"Tell me... what to do!"

I opened my throat to take his entire length; my lips flush against the plane of his groin. I didn't need to tell him with words. Human or pawn, he would learn either way under my master's explicit direction - and so would I.

It felt naughty... forbidden almost, as my other hand pulled up my skirt, and slipped inside the waistband of my pants - I was touching my master inappropriately, whilst also enjoying that very same touch.

How could it be wrong? I was stroking him with his own hand, with his own knowledge of what he liked. But I was feeling everything, like it was my own pleasure, when it clearly was not for me. What a ridiculous situation! I was an invisible participant in a threesome.

Barnaby climaxed for my master... and _because_ of him. And I felt a delightful ripple through my body at the sound he made. That moan which had been forced from his lips by my master's talent... it was far sweeter than any other song I would hear tonight.

It wasn't for me either.

_Master...!_

And I, too, succumbed to my master's carnal expertise. I felt his orgasm rise up and explode out of me. I cried out like it was mine... but it had nothing to do with me.

I felt empty and guilty, and I knew my master was angry about it. I had ruined this moment for him with my doubt. I was disappointing him! If I were still his pawn, this would never have happened.

Barnaby helped me to my feet.  
"Are you all right, Arisen?"

"We shall have to do this again, when things are not so... complicated."  
It was both my master's voice and his words, speaking over my thoughts as he sucked on his sticky fingers.

He meant when I was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TO BE CONTINUED...
> 
> I'm aiming to finish this fic by the end of September 2019... I hope! There is one (possibly two) more chapters... depending on how much I ramble. ^_^;;


End file.
